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Ganked from indigoskynet.

NO, NO, WAIT! I know it's a meme, but this one's useful!


Once the shock of reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for thefifth time in a row wears off, some readers may be wondering what theycan read next. So why not start a meme of suggestions?


DA RULES:
1.You must copy and paste the directions, rules, and the list sofar into your blog and then add three (and only three) books to thelist.

2.These three books must NOT already be on the list sofar. They must be fantasy or science fictional in nature that those whoenjoyed Harry Potter may also enjoy. You must provide your name and alink to your blog and/or website so that people may contact you to askfor more information about the books, if they want. They must be booksthat you have actually read yourself.

3. You cannot recommend aseries; instead, recommend the first book in the series. TerryPratchett's Discworld would NOT be considered a series; but RobertJordan's Wheel of Time would. Use your best judgment about whetheryou're recommending a series or not.

4. You must label the booksas either YA (young adult, suitable for the younger fans of HarryPotter) or A (adult,suitable for the not-so-younger fans of HarryPotter). Please be clear about this. It will be understood thatanything labeled YA is also recommended for A.

5. If you are an author, you CANNOT recommend your own books. (You can however hound your friends into recommending your books.)

6. Providing a link to information about the books you are recommending is optional.



Patty Cryan [norda/booksbynight] recommends:

1. L.M. Boston - The Children of Green Knowe. Tolly experiences time travel and ancestral magic in an English country house. [YA, published in 1954]

2. Geraldine McCaughrean - The Stones Are Hatching. Phelim had always thought there must be more to magic than rabbits or handkerchiefs - that if it existed at all, it would be too large to palm or to hide up your sleeve. [YA, published in 2000]

3. James A. Owen - Here, There Be Dragons. Charles, Jack and John find themselves forcibly removed from wartorn Britain to a realm literally beyond imagination. [YA, published in 2006]

Steven E. McDonald (David Alexander McDonald), wyldemusick, recommends:

Alan Garner - The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen (YA) (It would be easy to just recommend all of Garner's books, really)
Samuel R. Delany - Neveryona (A) - although this is a quantum leap, simply because of the corners Chip thinks around when it comes to language; it's the start of a series of books
Roger Zelazny - Lord Of Light (A) - science fiction, but it's built on Hindu mythology and fantastic in every way


Mario Di Giacomo [mdg1] recommends:

Good Omens(A), by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Humorous fantasy, with a similar English mindset.
Lord Darcy (A), by Randall Garret. Short mystery stories set in a world where magic is part of society.
A Wizard of Earthsea (YA), by Ursula K. LeGuin. The ORIGINAL "wizarding school" book, as far as I know.

Alex Jay Berman [alexjay] recommends:
1.Alma Alexander's Worldweavers (YA)--about learning magic despite yourself; despite being a bust at being the seventh child of a seventh child, and what a Potterhead would call a "Muggle".
2. Diane Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard (YA)--a very up-to-date, very American take on the schooling of new wizards and their first clashes with Evil. Perhaps even better than the Potter books for young adults,as it offers a very good reason why Evil exists and continues to exist.(first in a trilogy)
3. Either Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow or Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (very much A)--we've already got them hooked on the drug of reading with Potter; now it's time for them to start mainlining the hard stuff ...

Patricia Bray pbray
1. Diana Wynne Jones's Charmed Life (YA)
2. Susan Cooper's Over Sea, Under Stone (YA)
3. Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three (YA)

Patricia's picks are books that are marketed as YA, but that she first read and enjoyed as an adult. Much like the Harry Potter books, come to think of it.

Janni Lee Simner [janni] recommends:

1. Lene Kaaberbol's The Shamer's Daughter (YA)
2. Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword (YA)
3. Tamora Pierce's The Magic in the Weaving (Circle of Magic, Book 1) (YA)

(All books that are, one way or another, about learning magic.)

Joshua Palmatier [jpsorrow] recommends:
1. S.C. Butler's Reiffen's Choice (YA)
2. Jim Hines' Goblin Quest (YA)
3. Patricia Bray's The First Betrayal (A)

Indigo [indigoskynet/kismetropolis] recommends:
1. The Spiderwick Chronicles: Holly Lisle -- beautifully illustrated. first in the series.
2. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke [proviso: translated from German to English so the reading can get a touch bumpy. Also first in the series]
3. Artemis Fowl by Eowen Colfer: First in the series.




My selections:

Terry Pratchett's "Tifffany Aching" novels. "Wee Free Men" is the first one. It's set in the Discworld, but can be read as a series on its own. YA. Pratchett punnage and humour.

Um... "The Sheepherder's Daughter" by Elizabeth Moon? F. YA.

Robert Aspirin. "Phule's Company" SF. YA. Comedic. Weakish, due to Aspirin's setbacks.

Famous Artist/Band/Musician:
RATT

4 letter word:
rune

Vehicle:
Range rover

TV Show:
Roots

City:
Reno

Boy Name:
Roberto

Girl name:
Rosario

Alcoholic drink:
Rum

Occupation:
Remedial math teacher

Something you wear:
ring

Celebrity:
Rosario Dawson :dribble:

Food:
Roti

Something found in a kitchen:
red beans

Reason for being late:
Rain

Cartoon character:
Reed Richards

Film Title:
Rambo: First Blood part II

because I'm in a kind of avoiding mood today. So I meme. Plus it's rainy.

A simple meme of two-two-one-one.


If you choose to reply,


Please list two movies you think I should see and why you thought of me for these movies?

Please list two books you think I should read and why you thought of me for these books?

Please list one TV show you think I should see and why you thought of me for this show?

One website you think that you should see



I'll start by doing one as if I was replying to this quiz to someone on my FList who I will not name.

*waves*



The movies?

V for Vendetta. That movie resonates with me, and I think that you would appreciate it for the modern classic it is.

Three Kings. Accurate depiction of modern war, and a great acting job by the three principal actors. One of the first "I will not act in crap" movies by George Clooney, before his recent pledge to not act in crap.

The Books?

"Jingo" by Terry Pratchett. Written for another time, but almost prophetic. Even though it's comic gold, and does include a great visual of Nobbs in a dress. (This could have easily been "Thud", if only for the backhand that Pratchett gives the Dan Brown genre of books)

I'll go with "Among the Believers" by Naipaul for my second book. naipaul no longer writes comic books, but this one is pretty meaty reading.

TV show?

*ponders*

The Life and Times of Juniper Lee? Pretty decent for a Cartoon Network cartoon. Would have preferred Samurai Jack, but ah, well.



That is the draft example. :P


Anybody wanna give me some recommendations?

I wait for the World Cup final today- 1 Billion viewers, bitches.


Truly, a SUPERb display of football, though the refs fucked up this year.

And the boys got knocked out in the first round.


(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

✓ I miss somebody right now.  (Bloody distance.)	× I don't watch much TV these days.	✓ I own lots of books.
✓ I wear glasses or contact lenses.	✓ I love to play video games.	× I've tried marijuana.
✓ I've watched porn movies.	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
✓ I curse sometimes.  (When I'm frustrated.)	✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

( it goes on... )

Steven Colbert has large grapefruits.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425363

That is all.

Viagra as a possible treatment for Crohns?  Well, I've seen weirder.

Um.  Nice tech meeting - and on Carnival Saturday, no less.  The kiddies had good clean fun in the sun.  Went by Nissan's cousin, saw and got cool Flash thingies to look at.

Rereading "The Paladin of Souls".  Trying to read non-Mary Sue fiction.

< lj-cut text = "cut here" >

Get your own spectral analysis from Area 23®

( Of course, here's the cut. This one came from Indigo... )

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Hmmm... Not exactly by choice, but I haven't used Windows on my home PC for three months now. Apart from missing my games something fierce, I've been able to do everything in Linux.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Stopped making resolutions a while now.  Waste of time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
heard that Nigel's wife had a daughter on Christmas day.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Found out that my friend Collin's mom died over the holiday.  :(

5. What countries did you visit?
Barbados.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
Heh.  More physicality with my girlfriend.  More peace of mind.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Nothing stands out that I'd want to remember.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Um... some savings?  Weight loss.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Um... less peace of mind?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
High blood pressure.  Some particularly dreaded lurgies.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My cheap mp3 player.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Nothing comes to mind.  

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Family, I guess.  Don't see it looking up anytime soon, either.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and transport.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Sports.  BC Lara and (to a much lesser extent) the Soca Warriors.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
"Gold Digger", if only because of the awesome hook.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier?
That is probabl;y a wash.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
been more expressive.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinate.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Dog issues.  Mostly alone.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
No.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Dog the Bounty Hunter.  Raw.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
Hmm.  It's usually the last book I read.  Maybe Paladin of Souls?

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Kanye?

28. What did you want and get?
Mp3 player?

29. What did you want and not get?
Peace of mind.  Closure on some issues.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Still thinking 'bout it.


31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
38.  Nothing in particular.  Work, actually.

32. What was one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Peace of mind.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Eh?  If it's comfortable and matches, it gets worn.

34. What kept you sane?
The internets.   The Daily Show.   LJ.  TS.  IMs.  Friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
none.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Assorted political stupidity.

37. Whom did you miss?
eh?

38. Who was the best new person you met?
New?  Heh.  Prolly Nicole.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Blood is not necessarily blood.


40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"Reach in my pocket and pull out some dough,
 Girl acted like she never seen a $10 before!
 It's all about the Hamiltons baby
 Throw the snacks in a bag and I'm Ghost like Swayze."

1. Open up the music player on your computer.
2. Set it to play your entire music collection.
3. Hit the shuffle command.
4. Tell us the title of the next twenty songs that show up (with their musicians), no matter how embarrassing. That's right, no skipping that Carpenters tune that will totally destroy your hip credibility. It's time for total musical honesty. Write it up in your blog or journal and link back to at least a couple of the other sites where you saw this.
5. If you get the same artist twice, you may skip the second (or third, or etc.) occurrences. You don't have to, but since randomness could mean you end up with a list of ten songs with five artists, you can if you'd like.
6. Tell a story about each song.

Ok. PC's down at the moment, so no "music player on PC" part. Portable mp3 player has tunes, though, so I'll use that. No iPod love, because it's a cheap "George" player. Lotta happy happy joy joy super fun happy Rich music here, because I don't need stress when i going to work.

So let's go with the tunes. 20, huh? (I'll tidy it later, it's a long entry)

1) Central Line: Walking on Sunshine (12 inch version) A song from the day when there were 12" vinyl singles. One of the first records I ever purchased with my own money. Great song to let your worries go to. Clasiic dance R&B/disco-ishh vibe.
Random song lyric
"I gotta get away, gotta do it now, got to walk in to the sun, ha ha"

2) Kirk Franklin and God's Property - Stomp. Again a pretty decent song, which is weird, because I usually loathe gospel and worship music. One of three songs named "Stomp" on my player. I think the rap by Salt of Salt and Pepa is the little extra that makes the song good. Driving bassline, another goodtime song. I wonder if Kirk Franklin pay the folk they money yet.
Random song lyrics:
"We at the church, we ain't going nowhere" "I promise the stomp, the whole stomp, and nothing but the stomp".

3) Stomp - Brothers Johnson. A LOT of Quincy Jones-produced stuff on my playlist, because I'm a huge Quincy Jones whore. HUGE party song back in the day. Serious bass guitar work. Pity the brothers fell out and don't tour anymore.
Random lyric:
"Ev'rybody take it to the top, we're gonna stomp
All night
In the neighbourhood, don't it feel good
Yes, we're gonna stomp
All night
Wanna party 'til the morning light"

4) Keep On - "D"Train
Pure inspirational funk of the early 80s from here. Party music again. Duo, with very distinctive vocals. And synth work and arrangements! I blurbing here.

http://music.yahoo.com/ar-312369-bio--D-Train

"D Train, an innovative duo that consisted of James "D-Train" Williams (vocals) and Hubert Eaves III (keyboards, bass, drums, arrangements, productions), recorded a clutch of electrified dance/R&B classics in the early '80s. From the release of their first single onward, Williams' voice was instantly recognizable for its power-packed, uplifting nature. Eaves' instrumental backing and production were extremely complementary to Williams' deliveries, punching out bold, intricate arrangements that were often livened up for the dancefloor by remixer extraordinaire Francois Kevorkian."

random lyric:
"Sky's the limit and you know the truth, keep on, keep pressing on"

5) Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King (12 " version). Waaaay too much "GTA: Vice City" fun here. Tommy Vercetti is the man.

Music to dance to. Early 80s disco again. Sometimes I skip this, but not tonight. Nice cheesy sax, guitar and piano work, but it's REAL instruments. MASSIVE hit. Again happy happy joy joy music.
Random lyric:
"Wrapped in your arms is where I want to be"

6) The Secret Garden - Quincy Jones. Featuring James Ingram, El De Barge, Al B. Sure! and Barry White~~~~~~~~~~~~!
Serious change of pace here. Quincy producing here again. Major twenty toes, childmaking music here. Barry W sings and talks, but you don't need more, because you're Barry White, beeyatch, with the rumbling bass voice.
Random lyric:

"And I never wanted anyone

Bleh.

I get up with a sick feeling in the pit of my tummy, and I know it's because I have to go to work. And yeah, bad food reaction, so much wind. Haven't figured out the food yet. And with the tired.

:(

Hugs the flist. Hope all who are sick *looks in the direction of Atlanta* get better quickly.